Succulents are the easiest and simple plants to add to your garden, office, or house. These plants will elevate the beauty of the gardens and offer many other advantages. They are relatively easy to care for and can survive without water for days, weeks, or even months in winter.
Here are the top 10 unknown succulent plants benefits:
- Succulents are great air fresheners.
- Succulents help remove toxic elements from the air.
- Succulents help heal the body and mind.
- Succulents enhance focus and productivity.
- Succulents are easy to grow.
- They can adapt to almost any climate.
- Succulents can help tolerate pain.
- Succulent can be meaningful gifts to your loved ones.
- Succulents are great decorators.
- Succulents are delicious.
Read on to find out all the unexpected succulent plants benefits. You might also enjoy reading: 5 Succulent Ornament Ideas For Diy Enthusiasts.
9 Succulent Plants Benefits
Here are some wonders that succulent plants will do in your life. Whether they are planned to plant or grow unexpectedly, these are beneficial to a great extent.
1- Great Air Fresheners
One of the amazing benefits of succulents is their reverse photosynthesis process. Like humans, plants, including succulents, go through a respiration process, but in reverse. Succulents absorb the available carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and give off oxygen.
This will help in making the surroundings pleasant to breathe. Due to their air freshening quality, some people have even planted them in their bedrooms in pots.
2- Remove Toxic Elements From the Air
Another feature of some succulent species like aloe vera and snake plants is that they make the air pure by absorbing many toxic elements from it.
Research by NASA shows that these plants help to remove toxic elements like xylene, formaldehyde, toluene, and nitrogen oxides up to 87%.
The study issued by NASA suggested that succulents can remove numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air.
Generally, plants emit water vapor, which generates a pumping action that pulls contaminated air down to the plant’s roots. The succulent converts these contaminants to plant food, thereby purifying the air of your home.
NASA revealed that these plants also keep the air moist and humid, which helps in effective breathing.
See also: Can All Succulents Actually Survive Winter?
3- Succulents – the Great Healers
Since ancient times, succulents have been used as a cure for burns, cuts, stomachaches, and many other health issues. This medical importance of the succulents makes the unexpected growth beneficial too.
Plants play a psychological role in welfare, and people heal from illness faster in the presence of plants, according to research from NASA.
Here are some species of succulents that are being used in different treatments.
- Agave is being used as an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic medicine.
- Aloe vera is being used as an inflammation reducer and skin healer.
- Cactus benefits patients with asthma, diarrhea, BP, acidity, and many more.
- Stone crops help to lower high blood pressure.
- Yucca is beneficial for cuts and hurts.
4- Impact on Focus and Productivity
Studies show that the capabilities, focus, and work progress of a person increase in a room containing plants. Memory performance and attention span enhanced by 20 percent after individuals spent an hour interacting with nature, found a study issued by the University of Michigan.
In other words, you can increase your productivity by 20% by having small plants in your rooms.
Interestingly, several studies on students and workers have found that attentiveness, concentration, and brain capabilities improve when you study or work with plants in the room.
The visual stimulus of green foliage plants tended to enhance attention and feelings of comfort.
This is possible to plant small varieties of succulents in your office or workroom at home. This will have a great effect on your mental health. If you find an unexpected succulent in your lawn, you can use it for such a purpose.
See also: Sempervivum Vs. Echeveria: What Are the Differences?
5- Succulents Are Easy to Grow
One of the major advantages associated with succulents is their easy growth. Succulents don’t require much water and a lot of sun exposure to thrive. Some varieties of succulents grow well indoors, while others do so well outdoors.
If you place them right in their place, their care will not be a headache for you. This is another benefit associated with succulents.
6- Climate Adopters
Most succulent varieties can bear harsh weather conditions. So they can survive even in intense sunlight or low-water regions too.
These can adapt to the changing environment, too, which makes them ideal for all circumstances.
- You can grow succulents in almost any natural clime: from humid jungles and seaside cliffs to bone-dry deserts and frigid mountains.
- Indoors, succulents thrive in room-temperature environments, adding green and beauty to your living space year-round.
7- Succulents Can Help Tolerate Pain
It may sound unimaginable to suggest that having a plant can relieve pain, but the idea is supported by horticultural therapy research conducted at the University of Kansas.
This research discovered that patients appeared to need less pain medication when plants were in their hospital rooms.
Actively interacting with indoor plants, such as planting, touching, and smelling, can help relieve physiological and psychological stress, according to a 2015 study issued in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology.
8- Succulent Can Be Meaningful Gifts to Your Loved Ones
Like the Japanese culture, people give succulents to reveal their love in some cultures.
Generally, succulents symbolize tenacity, strength, selflessness, and love. So, gifting succulents would be an excellent idea to show unconditional love to the person you love the most.
For the one about whom you know that he or she is a plant lover, a succulent can be an ideal gift. Next time you want to choose a gift for your loved ones, consider gifting succulents to show your love.
See also: Do Succulents Grow Well in Shade?
9- Succulents Are Great Decorators
Along with their benefits on creativity and productivity, keeping different kinds of succulents in your rooms or offices will elevate the beauty of your space.
Also you can use them as decorative pieces for the outdoors too. This is another unexpected benefit of succulents.
10- Succulents Are Delicious
Some varieties of succulents are also edible. You can use them for making different recipes. Cooking any unique recipe out of succulents may be great fun. Lots of varieties can be used for such a purpose. Some are discussed here.
List Of Edible Succulents:
- Opuntia cactus (paddle cactus)
- Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
- Dragon fruit
- Portulacaria Afra (Elephant’s food)
- Yucca flowers
- Salicornia europaea (sea asparagus, sea beans, marsh samphire)
- Red-Flowering sedums
- Dudleya Edulis
See also: What Are Pros And Cons Of Growing Succulents In Rocks?
Best Time to Buy Succulents
The best time to buy succulents is spring and fall, as they are the growing seasons. Buying your succulents in spring and fall will also give you a chance to get used to their care before either the very hot or freezing weather arrives.
Though succulents can survive even in harsh weather, meaning too much cold or too much hot, buying them during harsh weather is not wise. If you have already planted these unique plants, you’ll be aware of how to look after them.
Some species of succulents, including Sedums and Sempervivums, can withstand winters. Still, many of your classic succulents, like Christmas Cactus, Aloe Vera, Jade Plant, and Panda Plant, prefer to be hosted in the cozy warmth of the indoors.
However, if you are a new gardener and want to add this plant too to your collection, purchasing them at the end of winter or the start of spring is good.
This time is ideal for purchasing succulent plants due to two reasons that are as follows:
- Succulent plants are easy to look after in normal climates, at the end of winter or early winter. So, you gradually learn how to look after these plants.
- These are the growing seasons for the succulents, so they’ll flourish maximum during these months.
Are Succulent Plants Good For Your Health?
Succulents have many health benefits. These are great air freshers that help in effective breathing. Small plants, including succulents, are particularly good for health. They freshen and clean the air, improve productivity, and relieve psychological and physiological stress, according to a study.
More importantly, adding plants in a room, including succulents, can improve attentiveness, concentration, and brain capabilities when you study or work.
Also, succulents can be used for different health purposes, like healers. If you or your family members have trouble breathing, you can keep it in your room.
See also: How To Successfully Deal With Splitting Lithops?
Wrapping Up
Overall, succulents have many benefits that we don’t usually think about. In addition, succulents are very easy to look after as they don’t need too much water, so you can place them in a proper place on the lawn for decorative purposes.
If you want to use them as a healer, it is also a great idea.
